Throughout Olympic history, technology has pushed boundaries before hitting the mainstream

Olympic History – 10 Things the Olympic Games Have Made Popular: Synthetic Track Surfaces

The track has played an important role in Olympic history. In early Olympic Games, runners had to make do with gravel, cinders, dirt and other natural materials.

However, the 1956 Summer Olympics in Sydney featured an artificial warm up track and by the 1960s, these artificial surfaces had become the norm.

Companies like 3M (MMM) have created product lines around synthetic track surfaces (in 3M’s case, that would be Tartan APS), while tire manufacturers have found a good use for recycling their worn products — in the form of tire crumbs.

Today, the synthetic track surfaces first popularized by the Olympics are standard issue at high schools, colleges and many horse racetracks. They also provide the safety cushioning being used in many playgrounds.